30 March 2022
Japan: Tokuyama Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering (MHIENG). Under the agreement, MHIENG will install a carbon capture demonstration plant at the producer's 4.7Mt/yr Nanyo plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It plans to commission the trial plant in June 2022 and operate it until March 2023. The supplier hopes to contribute to the early realisation of carbon neutrality in cement and other industrial fields through its work.
FLSmidth to deliver clay calcination plant and grinding plant expansion at CBI Ghana's Tema grinding plant 30 March 2022
Ghana: FLSmidth has secured a contract for the supply of a clay calcination plant at CBI Ghana's 0.6Mt/yr Tema grinding plant in Accra. The supplier says that it will also install a complete grinding station to more than double the plant's production capacity. FLSmidth says that the entire project will reduce the Tema facility's CO2 footprint by 20%. When commissioned, the new clay calcination plant will be the largest in the world, according to the supplier.
CBI Ghana chief executive officer Frédéric Albrecht said “Ghana is the perfect location for using clay as an environmentally friendly alternative to clinker. West Africa is traditionally a clinker and cement-importing region due to the lack of suitable limestone reserves. Developing countries with their young populations and a growing need for infrastructure and housing represent the future in cement consumption. Calcined clay cements are the most sustainable alternative to traditional clinker-based cement."
India: Shiva Cement's board of directors has approved the launch of a shareholders' vote over plans to increase its Odisha cement plant's capacity by 2Mt/yr. The plan also involves the expansion of the same plant's clinker capacity by 3Mt/yr and the installation of a 12MW waste heat recovery (WHR) plant. In addition to this, the company is seeking to open two new limestone mines with a combined capacity of 1.9 - 3.1Mt/yr at Khatkurbahal, also in Odisha. The company has received Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change approval for all of the plans.
World: The Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) has launched new Net Zero Accelerator initiatives under its 2050 Net Zero Global Industry Roadmap strategy in several countries. The new initiatives will identify barriers to decarbonisation and recommend key actions in Colombia, Egypt, India and Thailand. The association will set out national roadmaps with reduction levers, identify funding possibilities and enter into policy dialogues with national governments. Together, the four countries account for 10% of global cement production.
Chief executive officer Thomas Guillot said "Last year, our industry made a breakthrough net zero global commitment. This is the next logical step as we move our focus from a global roadmap to driving decisive local action." He continued "Global cooperation between governments and industry is crucial to ensuring net zero targets are met. Our Net Zero Accelerators will offer collaboration and support to a number of target countries to help them decarbonise and align with the global roadmap. I'm proud to launch the first phase of the Accelerator programme to assist these nations in embracing greener technologies and work towards a more sustainable future together. I now call on more partners around the world to join us and be part of this movement."
India: JK Cement subsidiary Jaykaycem (Central) has secured a contract for the supply of cement for Rail Vikas Nigam's construction of a new line on the West Central Railway network between Devendra Nagar and Puraina in Madhya Pradesh. The line will be 50km in length.
China: CNBM’s sales revenue grew by 7% year-on-year to US$43.1bn in 2021 from US$40.1bn. Its sales volumes of cement and clinker fell by 3% to 332Mt and 13% to 40.4Mt respectively. Concrete sales volumes increased slightly to 112Mm3. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 7% to US$8.11bn from US$7.6bn. The group increased its average cement prices by 10% in 2021. However, the group’s sales revenue from its engineering division fell by 29% to US$421m from US$590m, although its earnings recovered significantly. The group blamed this on “great uncertainty” in overseas markets due to the coronavirus pandemic although it said that producer’s willingness to invest was starting to recover.
Zhou Yuxian, chair of CNBM, said “The year 2021 was an extraordinary and tough year. In the face of complex environment abroad and numerous risks and challenges, China adhered to the general keynote of seeking progress in a stable manner, coordinating prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic and the development of economy and society, continuing the national economic recovery, taking a new step in building a new development pattern and achieving a good start of the 14th Five-Year Plan.”
Germany: ThyssenKrupp Uhde, Holcim and the Technische Universität Berlin have started a joint project to investigate the use of a novel amine scrubbing technology for carbon capture. The goal is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from existing cement plants and at the same time utilise the captured CO2 for other applications. This includes the development of new mass transfer process equipment that is more efficient and resilient to contaminations. The project is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
The equipment is being tested using exhaust gas at Holcim’s Beckum plant. Various possibilities for using the captured CO2 are also being examined, such as manufacturing methanol or sustainable fuels. The aim is develop a technology that can be retrofitted at existing cement plants.
Ralph Kleinschmidt, head of technology, innovation and sustainability at ThyssenKrupp Uhde said, "Amine scrubbing is already commonly used to recover CO2 from process gases or exhaust gases. Now, we are developing the technology further and optimising it for the cement industry. Additional applications for capturing CO2 direct at source, such as in waste incineration plants, are also possible."Arne Stecher, head of decarbonisation at Holcim Germany added that the company is testing different processes to find the best carbon capture technology.
Japan: Taiheiyo Cement has released its interim carbon neutral goals to 2030. The group intends to reduce its CO2 emission intensity across the entire supply chain by 20% or more compared to 2000. Total domestic CO2 emissions should be decreased by at least 40% compared to 2000. The company intends to invest US$820m towards these goals. Ultimately the cement producer wants to become carbon neutral by 2050.